will to survive
by cold as ice 1915
Summary: When all things seem right in the world there has to be something which comes along and ruins everything isn't there? Takes place after Quinn's accident. don't read if you are weak stomached when it comes to the sight of blood/gore. please R & R
1. Chapter 1

Quinn put the phone back into the passenger seat and continued driving on the way to Finn and Rachel's wedding. Sure she thought it was a crazy idea that they get married so young when they had so many things to look forward to in their lives but Quinn knew if she tried to talk Rachel out of marrying him she would just go and elope with him. In a way Quinn attending this wedding was a little like a way to release that part of her that still sort of loved Finn. Quinn may have cheated on both Finn and Sam but she would not cheat with a married man. That was a line Quinn felt no one should ever cross.

Quinn's phone dinged and she glanced at it to see a new text from Rachel. She gingerly took the phone into her hand and began to type a reply.

_I'm almost there just give me two minutes._

Quinn didn't have two minutes though. In the time that it took for Quinn to type those 8 words a tan truck came barreling around the corner of the road and slammed into the side of Quinn's car. The force of the impact flung the phone out of Quinn's and out the open window on the other side of the car. The car lurched to the right and rolled several times down the side of the small hill before the car came to a sickening crunch upside down.

Inside the car everything was shifting. Quinn's gown, which was inside a garment bag, came loose from the ceiling the hanger digging into the side of Quinn's face leaving a deep gash which oozed blood. The second flip of the car ripped the hanger out tearing a huge gash of skin with it. The air bags of the car had activated the second the car had hit but it was lacking side airbags so there was no cushioning the impact of rolling. Quinn's head snapped around on the third flip and she felt something break near her shoulder. Her collarbone couldn't take the force of the seatbelt digging into it anymore and was crushed from the force. Quinn's arm had been flung to the side hitting the center consol when the car impacted her but she lifted it to try and protect her face, which was useless as the car continued to roll so she simply closed her eyes tightly and prayed it would end soon.

It could have taken seconds but for Quinn it seemed to keep going. It felt as if she was never going to stop rolling; she would just roll and roll until she rolled into the ocean or off the side of a cliff. It's so funny how cliché it sounds but Quinn had certain memories of hers come flooding back in those terrifying moments. She thought of the time she had gone out for the Cheerios where she was sure she had tanked the tryout but had been pleasantly surprised to learn she was captain. She remembered finding out she was pregnant after cheating on Finn. She remembered having Beth and then telling Sam about her. God! How she missed Sam, he was the one good thing in her life and she had given that up. If she could have one wish it was to go back and never kiss Finn after the championship game. But none of that mattered now. Quinn noticed the car had quit rolling so she tried to open her eyes. Quinn registered she was upside-down but found she didn't really have a way to right herself in her current situation.

Quinn knew that the car was totaled but she wasn't sure of the injuries she had sustained while in the car. Her arm felt numb and upon investigation found her arm wedged in-between the steering wheel spokes where the horn was. She gingerly pulled on her arm but only felt a searing pain as her arm refused to budge. She left it where it was imprisoned and continued her injury search. She felt her cheek being coated in something so she brought her free hand to her cheek and sought out the source of the liquid. She pulled her hand away and found chunks of coagulated blood. It was seeping into her hair making it a matted blanket of red. Quinn had a few seconds to think of where to throw up before her stomach revolted against the blood and being upside-down for so long. She wiped at her mouth angrily and began to think of ways to get out of the car.

Quinn didn't think anything was wrong with taking her time to try and safely exit the car until she saw a small amount of smoke softly billowing out of the hood of the car. The keys were still in the ignition since she hadn't shut it off yet and the engine was overheating due to the crash. Now she panicked which was exactly the opposite thing to do in Quinn's situation. The rational part of Quinn, which hadn't completely shut down with fright and shock, told her if she didn't find a way to remove her arm, she might as well just let the flames consume both her and the car. Quinn tried once again to remove her arm but was unsuccessful. Her arm was wedged almost up to her elbow and the way human arms functioned could not be bent in a way to help pull the arm out. Quinn thought quickly of the anatomy of an arm and remembered that they connected in three different places: at the shoulder, the elbow, and at the wrist. She hated the thought of what she had to do next but she took a deep breath and twisted in her seat as much as she could and with a loud pop dislocated her shoulder. Her arm hung limply in the steering wheel and with a painful groan she pulled it free from its trap. The arm swung limply upside-down since it no longer had and ligaments to hold it against her shoulder.

Quinn was glad she had left her seatbelt on other wise she would have collapsed against the floor as soon as she had popped her shoulder. With her good hand she crossed over her body and released the buckle. Quinn unlocked the door of the car and pulled herself out of the wreckage. She didn't get more than one yard before her good arm gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Her body hurt so much it felt like lying there and giving up was the best solution. The reasonable part of Quinn's mind retreated in on itself and gave up the will to keep fighting. With a heavy sigh Quinn closed her eyes and didn't open them again.


	2. Chapter 2

Inside the hospital nurses rushed to and fro trying to attend to all of their patients. All of the nurses were called in to help attend to the large amount of people in the waiting room. Today seemed to be a busy day for accidents and almost all of the people were waiting for stitches. Paramedics burst through the door rushing a trolley with a misshapen girl into the hallways. One of the paramedics called for some help and a few doctors who could spare a glance came to look at the girl. One of the doctors turned pale once he got a glimpse of her dislocated shoulder and bruised face. The doctor turned away from the girl as he felt the contents of his stomach start to churn. Another doctor quickly took his place as the sickly one rushed to find a trashcan.

"What do we have here?" the doctor asked hoping this was not going to be another Jane Doe case.

"We couldn't find anything to identify her by, but we did find this picture of her in her car." The paramedic handed the picture over. The picture showed the face of a white female who looked to be in her mid teens. She was wearing a cheerleading uniform with the letters WMHS sewn onto the front. Basically this girl would become another Jane Doe that that would sit in their morgue if no one came forward to claim the body.

"Okay let's get as much of the blood off of her as we can so we can access injuries and see if she'll need surgery." The doctor motioned towards a room he thought was empty but was occupied by an older man. His hands were crossed over his chest and his eyes had a cloudy look that suggested deep thought. The man looked into the face of the doctor and then noticed the gurney with the girl. He studied her for a while and then lifted himself off of the bed.

"Sir we need you to lay back down so we can continue our tests on you." The doctor stated calmly while planning where to take the girl. The rooms further from the waiting room were empty waiting for new patients to occupy the beds and new blood to coat the floors and bed sheets. The doctor was about to turn the gurney to the hallway when the old man placed his hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"I'm feeling much better doctor thank you. I think I was just lonely. I'll go into the waiting room while you deal with this young lady here. She needs this bed more than I do. Please don't waist any time trying to argue with me I insist." The man gestured for the paramedics to lift the girl onto the bed and then stepped back. They hesitated but then the doctor nodded and they lifted the girl onto the bed sheets. The old man took one more look at the girl and said a silent prayer to God.

"_God, please spare this child which you so graciously graced the Earth with. If it is your will allow this child to pass through death's door let her return to her family safely and let her live a long and healthy life till she is reunited with you again. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen" _The man bowed his head and crossed himself before turning his feet towards the waiting room.

A few minutes later someone in the waiting room screamed and was pointing to the old man. Nurses rushed over to him pressing multiple stethoscopes to his chest looking for some sign of life but finding none. They called a gurney forward and silently wheeled the man through the double-hinged doors, which lead to the morgue. His heart began to slow as he had crossed the waiting room floor and his heart stopped altogether once he took a seat and glanced around at all the young faces waiting for news of their loved ones. He smiled to himself and took one more deep lungful of air as his heart thudded to a stop.

Inside the room the doctor busily worked alongside nurses trying to get the girl cleaned of most of the blood. Someone swabbed a DNA sampler over a patch of freshly flowing blood as the doctor scrapped away at a bit of dirt encrusted cut on her face. Once of the nurses noticed the picture on the nightstand and gasped.

"What is it Carmen?" The doctor asked as he placed band-aids on some of the girl's less severe wounds.

"This girl was on the front cover of a cheerleading magazine my daughter got. She's the head cheerleader at William McKinley High School. Her name's Quinn Fabray."

"Could you go and contact the family? Marissa give me a hand with this spot in her hair. Be careful about hitting any glass that may be imbedded in her skin, the last thing we want to do is make her worse before she goes into surgery." The doctor spared one glance at the nurse to make sure she was going and then returned his gaze back to his patient. The nurse rushed out the door and into their communications desk. She pulled up a search engine and typed in _Quinn Fabray._ Almost immediately a hit came up on the search and with some digging the nurse found a phone number. Regretfully the nurse picked up the phone and dialed the number. After a few rings a female voice picked up.

"Hello Fabray residence."

"This is the Lima Memorial Health System. We are trying to get a hold of a Judy Fabray. Is she home today?"

"This is her speaking." The woman's voice cracked as if bracing herself for the news about to come.

"Miss the news I am about to tell you is a bit difficult to say. Are you in a place where you can sit down?"

"I'm fine. Please continue." Judy answered into the phone her voice shaking with nervousness.

"Miss I'm afraid there's been an accident involving your daughter Quinn." The only sound on the other end was a sharp click as the phone slipped from the hands of Judy Fabray and her loud crying.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This scene has a flashback in it. This is going to be a long chapter so bare with me. Thanks to all of you people who reviewed/ added me to some sort of faves category. ~coldasice1915**

It took sixty-two stitches to pull all of the skin together on Quinn's body. The doctors had left her dislocated shoulder for last because they could not have operated on her collar bone had they replaced her shoulder. When they were done operating on her, Quinn's shoulder came back together with a definite pop and everyone in the O.R. flinched as she moaned in her sleep. It was the sound of someone not conscience but not completely unaware of what was going on. Somewhere in the deep recesses of Quinn's mind the rational part of her was trying to fight through the cobwebs caused by all of the bleeding and abuse her body had sustained in the crash.

Quinn had been out of surgery for 20 minutes and still she had not opened her eyes. The anesthesia should have worn off by now allowing Quinn to see the damage the truck had done to her. The skin around her cheek was pulled taught with the stress the stitches were putting on it. Mrs. Fabray was sitting silently beside her daughter gently stroking her hand, which the heart monitor had attached to it. She cried for several minutes until she was interrupted by a silent knock at the door. She turned to find Finn poking his head around the doorway with a sad smile on his face. She nodded to him and he opened the door a little wider and Judy could see a whole throng of people standing outside the door. Finn had on a tuxedo with small white flowers on the lapel. Judy could only guess where he had just come from but upon further examination of all of the visitors she gathered they had just come from a party of some sort.

"How's she holding up?" Finn asked displaying an arrangement of flowers in his hands. He walked slowly into the room and placed the flowers on Quinn's bedside table. Judy took hold of Quinn's hand again and gave it a few more gentle rubs before she stepped back to let the others look at her.

Rachel was the first brave soul to step forward. She still had on her wedding dress although now it was silently tainted with the car accident that had been slightly Rachel's fault. She put her hand to her mouth in a silent gasp of horror as she took in Quinn's hollowed face. She was almost as pale as the bed sheets and had large bruises all over her body. One of Quinn's arms was hoisted up on her chest in a sling her hand hanging limply out the end of the fabric. If it weren't for the sound of air being forced into Quinn's body through a tube Rachel could have thought she was looking at a dead body.

Where Quinn's seat belt had been there was now a large rash that crossed Quinn's body like a pageant sash. Rachel wanted to run out of that room screaming that it was her fault but that wouldn't help anyone. She stepped aside as Tina and Mike came forward and said a few things. Artie wheeled himself to the foot of the bed and began saying a prayer. Rachel bowed her head as tears flowed from her eyes. _Why did I ever want to go through with this wedding thing? Quinn didn't even want me to get married until she realized how much I did love Finn, and then when she did support my choice she went and got in a car accident on the day I was getting married!_ All of these thoughts ran through Rachel's head like a parade of guilt ending its route only to start all over again.

Sam was the last one of the glee kids to step forward. In his hands was a simple yet elegant arrangement of white and light pink flowers. He had yet to see Quinn's face but from the looks the others gave him it couldn't be good. He tried to brace himself for what he was about to see, but as he got closer he felt his knees give way and he was kneeling beside the bed of the girl he had loved. She looked like a broken Barbie doll to Sam and he wished he could look away but he found his eyes take in every inch of her scared face. He took in the gash on her cheek, which had once been smooth like porcelain. His hand tentatively reached out and grasped the side of the bed and he hoisted himself into the chair that was by her bed. He looked up at the rest of the New Directions but found all of them had left the room and had shut the door. He was alone with the girl he had loved- no he still loved her but there was some anger and hurt that lingered when he thought of Quinn. Hurt over her cheating on him and then lying about it, hurt over giving her the promise ring and then having her give it back to him in an impersonal way. She had left the ring on the door steps with even bothering to ring the doorbell. She hadn't even had the courtesy to give it to his face.

To Sam who was sitting vigil in a chair nothing could have mattered more than Quinn. Quinn had almost redeemed herself in his eyes from cheating on him. He knew she had been sneaking money to his parents for the hotel room- how else would they have been able to pay for the small TV in the room? He hadn't asked for her help yet she offered and insisted that she help him watch Stacie and Stevie while he worked delivering pizzas. Sam shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and found the corner of a small velvety box under his finger tips. He pulled the box out and almost would have smiled had Quinn not been lying there in a coma. Inside was the ring he had given Quinn a little over a year ago. He remembered how nervous he had been that day as he asked her to talk to him privately.

**Flashback as told by Sam's POV**

Finn had teased me that I couldn't get Quinn to date me but he was dead wrong. I had a plan- a foolproof plan that would make Quinn fall in love with me. It was the end of the day and I knew Quinn would be at her locker before Cheerios practice so I hurried there hoping I wasn't sweating too much. My nerves were kicking into overdrive, my muscles felt like they were being knotted by a bunch of boy scouts. I rounded the corner and saw a familiar blonde ponytail swinging gracefully as she walked to her locker. In her arms she clutched a small notebook decorated with pictures from Cheerios summer work out camps. There was a small smile on her face as if she had just been told a funny joke.

I checked my shirt to make sure I didn't have any food on me and slowly walked to her locker hoping my walk didn't look too panicky or too easy-breezy. When I got closer to Quinn I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest waiting for her to closer her locker. I glanced down at my posture and decided that looked to stupid so I dropped my arms right as she was closing her locker. She spotted me before I could arrange myself into some cool relaxed pose. She smiled at my flustered face and I was glad she saw me as a bit of a dork. I didn't have to explain why I did certain things; she just accepted that they were apart of me.

I took her hand as lead her off to a room I knew would be empty. She smiled as I led her into the astronomy room where we had first practiced our duet and where I had almost kissed her. She continued to smile at me even when I tried to speak but no words came out. I couldn't get my thoughts together though so I just knelt down and pulled the box out of my pocket.

"Oh my god. Are you proposing? We've been on one date and now you're proposing? Stand up, you're freaking me out." I looked up at her face and saw she was not smiling. I stood up and took hold of one of her hands.

"It's just a promise ring. But it's a symbol of all the things I promise to you…" I listed off all of the things I had off the top of my head, "And I promise that when you look and point down the hall you'll be proud to say 'that dude's my boyfriend. Quinn I think I may be starting to love you…" I got down on one knee again, "and all this I promise if you just say yes." I looked into her eyes to try and figure out what she was thinking. Her pupils were so dark that it was like looking into space, they never seemed to end but there was not a beginning either.

Quinn stretched her hand out and slowly closed the lid on the ring.

"So that's a no?" I asked her feeling my voice start to crack.

"It's a maybe." She smiled and slowly walked away from me on the way to Cheerios. I could have said my life was crushed, but then again Quinn hadn't exactly told me she didn't want to date me. It was a maybe, and I would take a maybe over a no any day.

**End Flashback and back to third party POV**

Sam smiled as he continued to turn the little black box over in his hands. How odd it seems that even when his parents were jobless he couldn't make himself pawn the little ring. It wouldn't be worth a whole lot, the diamond was a little cloudy and the metal was not pure gold but the ring could have given Stacy a new backpack and Stevie could have gotten those cool racing shoes he wanted. Since there was no one looking and he was sure Quinn was out cold he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her knuckles trying not to disturb any of the tubes or monitors she had around her. He glanced at all of the machines.

To the left of Quinn there was a machine that beeped every few seconds and the sound of air would rush into the tube, which was inserted into Quinn's mouth for breathing. Below that machine there was a green line that was flat in some places and then spiked in others. With a start Sam realized that was her heart rate monitor. To Sam it seemed too slow, like Quinn didn't have enough strength or energy left to keep her heart beating. On the opposite side of Quinn was a clear plastic bag filled with what looked like water but the bag, which was upside-down, read "morphine drip". Sam's eyes wandered down the thin clear tubing that lead to her I.V. in her hand. The skin surrounding the needle was swollen and red as if someone had been scratching at it. _That wasn't possible._ Sam thought to himself. He knew from all of the whispering outside the door that Quinn hadn't regained consciousness after her surgery.

"Quinn, it's Sam. Look I don't know what to say exactly, I haven't had a friend ever go into a coma before so I don't know how much of this you'll remember- or if you can even hear me, so I'm just going to talk and you can listen or not. I know when I left you started to go on your little experimentation with who you were and all, and I know you'll say you liked the way you looked but I thought you were perfect just the way you were when I first met you. You do remember that don't you?" He paused as if waiting for an answer. When no answer came Sam felt a little bit sadder.

"You helped clean the slushy off my face and clean my clothes. That was the first time I spoke Na'vi to you. You looked at me funny but didn't say anything else. Then we sang Lucky together and then our relationship took off. I don't know what happened between us to make you cheat on me, I thought you didn't mind the weirdness or the dyslexia thing. Maybe you got tired of me borrowing your notes but whatever the cause something happened between us and we fell apart. I thought of you all the time…" Sam's voice cracked and he looked up hoping she wasn't wide-awake and staring at him. Quinn was still posed in the exact same position she had been when Sam first began speaking. He felt tear begin to force themselves forward so Sam sniffled and held them back.

"When I think of all the great times we had together I can't help but wonder, what went wrong? I loved you with every fiber of me I could spare. Between being quarterback and glee stud," Sam smiled a little, "I tried to give you everything I had. You know it's ironic how they say 'forgive your friends 'cause you never know what might happen'. I never thought to ask you this while you could answer me back and now you're comatose and can't talk at all let alone comprehend what I'm saying."

There was a knock on the door and a nurse came in carrying a clipboard. She was wearing too much perfume and Sam could smell it from where he was sitting.

"I'm sorry to interrupt dear but it's time for the patient to be bathed." Sam nodded silently and got up to leave. The nurse walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a long slender tube, which she connected with a small needle-like object at one end. The nurse looked back at Sam and he hurriedly walked out of the room.

**Wow that was a long chapter. Thanks to all of you sticking with me as I try and fill the empty pages the writes of Glee are leaving. I can't believe they just left the winter finally with a gigantic cliffhanger like that and then gave absolutely no clues as to what happens when they return! I'm so mad but this gives me an excuse to fill in the pages myself. As always please R & R and I will update as soon as possible.**


	4. Chapter 4

** Hey thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far I really appreciate it. This is my first story that has reached over 5 reviews! (Jumps up and down excitedly) So I got a few questions about why my chapters are sometimes short. Please note that I do this with the purpose that the chapters flow into each other with little waiting time in between. With my other stories I have written huge chapters but they took forever to post. Enough of my rambling, you guys rock. Now back to the story!**

Quinn felt something prodding at her hand and felt the sharp end of a needle breaking the skin. Then she felt cold liquid slowly flowing into the backside of her hand. Quinn wanted to scream out loud but found her windpipe blocked by a still plastic tube. A few minutes later Quinn became aware of a slow metallic droning sound. Quinn wondered what that sound meant and then felt something being clipped onto her finger. Slowly the droning noise turned into a steady beating. Quinn focused on the sound and noticed how it had a slightly delayed reaction to the beating of her heart. With a start she realized it was taking a reading of her heart. Quinn wanted to cry with relief. The beeping meant she wasn't dead.

For a while after the accident Quinn wasn't sure if she was going to die or not. She had retreated inside herself hoping to preserve some sort of energy so she could come back later. Now she was sure she was alive and with that new resolve her heart seemed to beat a little stronger the beeping a little louder. Quinn tried opening her eyes but found the muscles to open her eyes didn't seem to function properly. She tried again but found she was paralyzed. Fear gripped Quinn like a steel hand not wanting to let her go and with slow realization she noticed that she couldn't move anything. Quinn thought of moving her fingers, a basic function which anyone should be capable of if they had full conciseness, but found she was unable to feel the sheets mover beneath her as she thought of grasping them.

Quinn started to retreat back inside herself when she heard the faintest sound of a door opening. The sound of high heels approached where Quinn was lying and when they were a few feet away stopped short with a soft scuffling sound. A few words were murmured from the mouth of some unseen person and then more scrapping sounds came from a little further away this time they were louder. Quinn waited as the object and its owner came closer stopping a few feet away from the bed.

A hand reached out to Quinn and took hold of her hand. Quinn got frustrated that she couldn't see whose hand was holding hers but it felt warm. She could tell it was a female hand because it was slight and she had two rings on her ring finger. Quinn hoped the person would speak because not knowing whose hand it was started to make Quinn uneasy.

"Quinny? It's your mother. I'm here now; everything is going to be okay. Don't worry about a thing; everything is being taken care of for you. I brought a few personal items from home just incase you wake up and want something familiar to you. The grief councilor advised me to bring something that would remind you that you were loved and that I should try and talk to you. Oh Quinny, I'm so sorry." Judy's other hand came up and clutched at Quinn's like she was the last thing holding her daughter to the face of the planet. Judy's sobs wracked her body and Quinn could feel the force ripple through her hand. Quinn knew that people often took comfort in some sort of physical gesture of comfort but all Quinn could do was sit there immobile so instead she focused on the one thing she could do; keep her heart beating strong and steadily.

After a few minutes when the silence had stretched long past comfortable Judy's sobs quieted to a soft whimpering. There was a silent knock on the door followed by Judy releasing her daughter's hand to wipe at her makeup.

The sounds from the busy waiting room flowed into Quinn's room wrapping Quinn in a symphony of confusing sounds. Quinn retreated into herself a little while she waited for the door to shut. The sound of many feet shuffling into the room and the shifting of dress fabric made Quinn come back out. By her estimation there were enough people in the room to fill it wall to wall. The room was dead silent except for the occasional gasp or sniffle.

"How's she holding up?" The voice belonged to Finn that much Quinn was certain about but she was unable to pinpoint where his voice had come from exactly. Judy didn't answer but stepped back respectfully to let the mob of people closer to Quinn.

A small pattering of footsteps broken only one by a small scuffle came closer to Quinn. She heard a gasp and realized the person must have caught a look at all of her injuries. From the sound of the gasp they were quite extensive and Quinn wondered if she would have to have another procedure to fix all the damage.

Whomever the foot steps had belonged to didn't say anything although Quinn wished they had stepped aside as a pair of joint foot steps came forward. At least one of them was wearing some sort of dress shoe as the footsteps clicked softly against the floor. The pair came forward and said a few things. Quinn placed the voices to Tina and Mike. Then the sound of wheels on linoleum could be heard and Quinn knew it was Artie. If Quinn could have smiled she would have. Artie wheeled himself to what Quinn guessed was the foot of the bed and began saying a prayer. Quinn mentally bowed her head and was moved by the words Artie had said. They weren't the closest of friends but Artie spoke as if she was. Quinn guessed it was Puck who came forward and gave her hand a soft kiss.

The last pair of footsteps was the softest and seemed to approach the slowest of all of them. The sound of many shuffling feet followed by the sound of a shutting door caught Quinn's attention although it didn't seem to affect the visitor. Quinn heard something hit the floor and thought it might have been the visitor but then moments later the chair scrapped the floor again and a hand grasped hers. The hand was rough and calloused around the palm and there were some small scar lines that were barely noticeable except by touch. The visitor had yet to identify himself but Quinn didn't really feel the need for the visitor to speak she was tired and wanted to go to sleep.

"Quinn, it's Sam. Look I don't know what to say exactly, I haven't had a friend ever go into a coma before so I don't know how much of this you'll remember- or if you can even hear me, so I'm just going to talk and you can listen or not. I know when I left you started to go on your little experimentation with who you were and all, and I know you'll say you liked the way you looked but I thought you were perfect just the way you were when I first met you. You do remember that don't you?" He paused as if waiting for an answer. Quinn's heart soared in her chest as she realized it was Sam talking although the beeping of the machine seemed to get quieter and slower. Quinn refocused on her heart and heard the noise slowly regain its previous tempo. Of course she remembered helping him clean the slushy off his face. She wished desperately she could answer back. He continued to speak after a few seconds.

"You helped clean the slushy off my face and clean my clothes. That was the first time I spoke Na'vi to you. You looked at me funny but didn't say anything else. Then we sang Lucky together and then our relationship took off. I don't know what happened between us to make you cheat on me; I thought you didn't mind the weirdness or the dyslexia thing. Maybe you got tired of me borrowing your notes but what ever the cause something happened between us and we fell apart. I thought of you all the time…" Sam's voice cracked and Quinn could swear she felt him staring at her face as if trying to see some sign of the girl he was describing. Quinn knew she was still posed in the exact same position she had been in but prayed that she could give him some small sign maybe a gentle squeeze of his hand but Quinn was frozen like stone. She heard Sam sniffle and knew he must be trying so hard to maintain some kind of composure.

"When I think of all the great times we had together I can't help but wonder, what went wrong? I loved you with every fiber of me I could spare. Between being quarterback and glee stud," She heard him chuckle, "I tried to give you everything I had. You know it's ironic how they say 'forgive your friends cause you never know what might happen'. I never thought to ask you this while you could answer me back and now you're comatose and can't talk at all let alone comprehend what I'm saying." Oh how desperately Quinn wished she could answer back. She wished she could cry along with him and maybe get him to hold her like he used to. She knew it was selfish to think that he would just forgive her like that but she couldn't help but hope. Quinn prayed that she would live to see the day when she told him she could hear him that day but for now Quinn had to settle for silence on her part. There was another knock on the door and a female voice said,

"I'm sorry to interrupt dear but it's time for the patient to be bathed." Sam must have nodded because with a final gentle squeeze of her hand he let go and walked towards the door. Quinn silently begged him not to leave her but he was already gone leaving her with the nurse.

The nurse walked over to the other side of the room and opened a box or a drawer and pulled something long out of it. The nurse let the lid/door slam shut and then her foot step carried her over to Quinn.

The thin blanket which was covering Quinn was thrown off and she felt something take hold of her leg. Quinn wanted to thrash against the cold hand that felt like an invasion of privacy. Quinn's leg was placed a little off the bed and then the small nightgown Quinn was wearing was hitched up above her hips. The cold air blew against Quinn's thighs and she wished she could scream at the nurse. The nurse placed her hand on the outside of Quinn's hip and then guided an object up Quinn's body. Quinn felt something probing around her lower body and then something was being forced in-between her legs. Quinn had never felt so violated before. Even for a female nurse to be doing this felt like some sort of cruel punishment. Quinn was horrified and retreated inside her mind further than she had ever gone before. This time she wasn't worried of fighting her way back to Sam and her mother, Quinn just wanted to get as far away as possible form the nurse with the cold hands and the torturous instrument. Quinn felt some sort of liquid begin to fill the tube. She didn't care though. Quinn felt herself dose off to sleep and left the nurse to do what ever the heck she wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam felt himself start to nod off in a chair in the waiting room but slapped himself awake. At that moment he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

_ Hey any update on Quinn's condition?_

The text message was from Finn and Sam thought of writing back "_why don't you come find out for yourself"_ but felt that was too harsh. Finn was currently consoling Rachel who was devastated that on the day of her wedding one of her bridesmaids had gotten in a car accident which was determined to be caused by Quinn texting Rachel. Texting wasn't illegal in the state and the driver of the truck which had hit Quinn had run that stop sign and caused her car to flip off the road. Instead of writing that witty remark Sam just texted Finn back and said nothing's changed. He then called Quinn's mother and told her she might want to come to the hospital. Judy said she would be there as soon as she could.

The doctors were starting to get worried about Quinn not responding to any of the treatments they had tried so far. They had tried almost everything they could think of and still there was no progress or sign that she was getting any better. As Sam was thinking of the doctor's failed treatment the doctor in charge of Quinn walked into the room a clipboard tucked under one arm.

"Are you Samuel Evans?" The doctor asked glancing at the name on his clipboard.

"Yes." Sam stood trying to keep his hold on Quinn's hand but was too tall to stand and still reach so he let go. It seemed to Sam that Quinn's heart monitor started to slow as soon as his fingers let go of hers but Sam thought it was just him.

"Hello son, I have a couple of questions to ask you, if that's okay?" He pulled a pen out of his lab coat and clicked it open.

"Sure. What is this about exactly?"

"This is about Quinn. Her heart rate is surprisingly low except for when you come to visit. Even when one of our nurses comes in to replace tubing or equipment Quinn's heart rate decreases but when you are here her heart beats more regularly and evenly."

"Wait, how do you know me being here is what causes her heart to beat faster?"

"You had to sign in at the front desk and the machine keeps an electronic readout of her heart beats per minute. When you sign in and the times her heart beats faster are almost exactly matched up with a few minutes for transitioning from the lobby to here."

"So what you're saying is that I'm making her heart beat faster?" Sam looked over his shoulder at Quinn and then at her heart rate monitor. He would have laughed at how cliché he sounded but Quinn was in a hospital bed and not conscience.

"Exactly, so what we want to know is what you are doing that Quinn can either hear or feel. This may give us the key to figure out how to reach her through the coma." The doctor placed his pen to the clipboard ready to write down exactly what Sam said. Sam merely shrugged and put his hands in his pocket.

"Mostly I just sit here and talk to her. Sometimes I tell her a story about my family, she loves them a lot, and sometimes I just hold her hand and will her to get better." He removed his hands from his pockets and ran one over his face and then through his hair. He had been in the room for over 15 hours and was starting to fall asleep in the chair. He had decided he was going to leave soon but then the doctor walked in.

"And you don't move any of the tubes or other devices?" The doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Sam. When the doctors had talked about Quinn's lack of recovery an intern had suggested that maybe someone was messing with the equipment and not allowing Quinn to get enough oxygen.

"Are you accusing me of keeping Quinn hospitalized?" Sam may not have been the smartest person on the planet but he was smart enough to realize when someone was fishing for information.

"No! Of course not, we just have to examine every possible angle." The doctor tapped his pen against the clipboard and extended his hand for Sam to shake. Sam obliged and then sunk back into the chair releasing a huge breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"I can't believe they would accuse me of tampering with the machines" Sam said quietly to Quinn knowing the doctor was still standing outside the door. He glanced at the door and a dark figure walked past the window. Sam's phone vibrated on the table and he released Quinn's hand to grab it. "Hello?"

"Hi Sammy!" Sam's brother and sister screamed into the phone. Sam chuckled and said hello back. "How's Quinn doing? Can we come visit her? When does she get out of the hospital? What happened to her? Will she be able to walk again?" The questions came in a flurry and Sam had trouble keeping them straight in his mind. He sighed and ran a hand over his face trying to think of how to respond.

"Quinn's doing okay but she could be better. I'm sorry you guys can't come…"

"But why not?" They screamed loudly into the phone making Sam jerk it away from his face.

"Quinn needs to stay here and be able to recover as much as possible, but I know something you two could do to make Quinn feel better"

"What?" Their voices were filled with excitement at being able to help Quinn get better. Earlier that week a glitter soaked card had arrived that said "get better soon Quin". Sam laughed at the spelling of Quinn's name but had to give the kids some props for figuring out how to manage to get an entire packet of glitter on one card.

"I know Quinn would love it if you went to church on Sunday and prayed for her. I've been doing a lot of that here at the hospital but I don't think He can get my message when there are so many people asking for his attention here. Will you guys do that for me?"

"Sure Sammy. Mom wants to talk to you." There was some static as the phone exchanged hands but then Sam's mother's voice was on the phone.

"How are you holding up Sam?"

"I've been better. I haven't slept in 15 hours so I'm running on empty. Quinn's not responding to anything." His voice broke and he put his hands over his eyes.

"Sam, what you need to do is keep wishing she gets better and be there for her if she does wake up" She paused as if considering her next words carefully. "Do you love her Sam?"

"I thought I loved her before"

"Sam that doesn't matter, what I'm talking about is do you love her now?"

"Yes, I love Quinn and nothing could ever make me not love her again."

"Then you need to stay with her and make sure you are there when she wakes up. When she does you need to be blunt and tell her how you feel. Your relationship may not be as easy going as the first one was, but if you love her then fight with all you've got."

"I know but what if I spend all this time with her and she doesn't even want to be with me?"

"Then you need to make her want to be with you Sam. True love doesn't knock on every single person's door. Sometimes you have to work for it a little bit." Sam looked into Quinn's face wishing he could see her green eyes look into his at this moment.

"Thanks mom, I love you. Tell dad I said hi." They said goodbye and hung up.

Sam took hold of Quinn's hand in both of his and thought of some way to get through to Quinn what he wanted to say. Nothing he could have said would have said what he needed to say but there was a song that came to mind. He sighed and leaned into the bed a little bit.

If you ever leave me baby,  
>Leave some morphine at my door<br>'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication  
>To realize what we used to have,<br>We don't have it anymore.

There's no religion that could save me  
>No matter how long my knees are on the floor<br>So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'  
>Will keep you by my side<br>Will keep you from walkin' out the door.

Cause there'll be no sunlight  
>If I lose you, baby<br>There'll be no clear skies  
>If I lose you, baby<br>Just like the clouds  
>My eyes will do the same, if you walk away<br>Everyday it will rain, rain, rain...

I'll never be your mother's favorite  
>Your daddy can't even look me in the eye<br>Oooh if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing  
>Sayin there goes my little girl<br>Walkin' with that troublesome guy

But they're just afraid of something they can't understand  
>Oooh well little darlin' watch me change their minds<br>Yeah for you I'll try I'll try I'll try I'll try  
>I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding<br>If that'll make you mine

Cause there'll be no sunlight  
>If I lose you, baby<br>There'll be no clear skies  
>If I lose you, baby<br>Just like the clouds  
>My eyes will do the same if you walk away<br>Everyday it will rain, rain, rain...

Don't just say, goodbye  
>Don't just say, goodbye<br>I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding  
>If that'll make it right<p>

Cause there'll be no sunlight  
>If I lose you, baby<br>There'll be no clear skies  
>If I lose you, baby<br>Just like the clouds  
>My eyes will do the same if you walk away<br>Everyday it will rain, rain, rain...

Sam felt himself tearing up but all he could do was sit there in the silence and hold on to Quinn's hand.

**Thanks for being patient with me for not updating for so long. I had four tests to study for in the last week before spring break and they were killers. This will probably be one of the last chapters in this story but I have already written the ending so as soon as I get the second to last chapter written it should be up. You all are awesome!**

**~cold as ice 1915**


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn woke from her slumber by a very soft ringing sound. She focused her ears toward the sound and found it to be a phone. She strained herself to hear whose voice it was but found she couldn't hear it.

"Quinn needs to stay here and be able to recover as much as possible, but I know what you two could do to make Quinn feel better." There was some yelling on the receiving end of the phone before Sam said "I know Quinn would love it if you went to church on Sunday and prayed for her. I've been doing a lot of that here at the hospital but I don't think He can get my message when there are so many people asking for his attention here. Will you guys do that for me?" Quinn laughed at how ridiculous Sam sounded right now and then guessed he must have been talking to his brother and sister. For a while no lone spoke and Quinn wished they would. It was so frustrating how she was stuck being in bed with no one able to talk to her. "I've been better. I haven't slept in 15 hours so I'm running on empty. Quinn's not responding to anything." Sam's words broke through Quinn's petty worrying. His voice broke with tears and he inhaled loudly through his nose.

"I thought I loved her before" Quinn struggled with all her might to hear the conversation but she could only make out Sam's voice. She cried out silently at being stuck inside her mind. She felt bad that he talked about her like she was his past but then he said "Yes, I love Quinn and nothing could ever make me not love her again." Her heart soared in her chest until she thought it would break out of her chest and float her away from Sam. She calmed her heart before it could rip them apart. "I know but what if I spend all this time with her and she doesn't even want to be with me?" _What? No Sam! Of course I want to be with you. You were the best thing I ever had and I just threw that away to be with Finn who then dumped me for Rachel again. _Sam hung up the phone with the mystery callers and then took hold of her hands again. He sighed and then leaned forward into the bed a little bit. With a sigh he began to sing to her. It took Quinn a while to place the song but finally she did. Her heart broke as the lyrics flowed out of Sam's mouth and washed over her like a gentle wave on a beach. The words wrapped around Quinn like a blanket and she felt like they were going inside her and slowly patching up all the holes and broken pieces inside her. She was ready to come out of this stupid coma and embrace life to the fullest. If only she could find the controls to her body and figure out how to make her hand clench around Sam's hand as to give him some sign that she was alive and well.

She felt the bed shake with his gentle snores and guessed he had fallen asleep on her bed. She wished she could move her fingers and run them through his hair. Across the room a door opened and then shut quietly. A pair of high heels clicked against the ground and approached Quinn and Sam. Quinn felt a gentle rocking motion followed by a soft moan. The shaking on the bed stopped and Quinn guessed Sam was awake.

"How's she doing?" Judy Fabray asked. At least her mother was coming to visit her; Quinn hadn't heard her father come into the room and guessed he hadn't come at all.

"I think she's okay. I must have fallen asleep." _Yeah, you slept like a log._ Quinn laughed to herself remembering how she had talked about how she sometimes talked in her sleep and he had said he snored when he was really asleep. Then there was a knock on the door and the sound of a chair sliding away from Quinn.

"Good evening Mrs. Fabray, Mr. Evans. I have some bad news to share with all of you." Sam guided Quinn's mother into chair and sat her down. _What news did they have to share?_ _And why is my mother having to sit down? What's going on?_ Panic filled Quinn's heart and made her miss part of the conversation between the doctor and her mother.

"… We're afraid that the machines may be the only thing keeping Quinn alive right now and if they aren't there is no telling the kind of damage Quinn's brain sustained during the injury. It is my professional opinion that we take Quinn off of life support and allow her to move on to a better place." There was silence in the room but Quinn's mind was firing on all synapses. If ever there was a moment to come out of a coma it was now. Quinn had to get across that she wasn't gone and that she just needed more time to recover. She focused all her will into her hands and successfully moved her index finger a little bit. For some reason no one saw it and she tried again. She scratched some material with her fingers and found it didn't feel like normal bed sheets would have. She also noticed there was no heart rate monitor clip on her finger and she cursed as she realized she was moving a finger covered with a blanket or other material.

Quinn realized she was running out of time and would soon lose the only machine capable of telling her friends and family that she was alive. She tried to move her legs but found them to be paralyzed in some large unmovable contraption. _Jesus give me the strength to move a fraction of an inch! _Quinn prayed to all the gods and angels she could think of and knew the next movement she would make could be one of the last ones before she was considered "dead".

"Are you positive doctor?" Quinn's mother sounded so sad and broken that it added fuel to Quinn's fire. She was hell bent on not giving up yet. She would not have Sam profess his love to her unknowingly and then have to bury her.

"This is the only way Mrs. Fabray. I'm sorry for your loss." _Quit saying I'm going to die! I will fight until the day they load me in a coffin and nail down the lid and even then I will find a way to tell everyone I am still alive. _Quinn's thoughts were becoming desperate but given the situation she thought he level of panic was reasonable. Her mom was over come with sobs and she threw herself onto the bed flinging both of her arms around Quinn. Sam came around to the other side of the bed and gently pushed some hair off of her face. He bent his head down to Quinn's and whispered into her ear "I love you" He then placed his lips on her forehead and let his nose rest against her hair. He inhaled deeply and then stepped away. _Damn it I'm not dead yet! Give me one more chance please!_

Two pairs of feet walked silently and slowly away from Quinn. With one last effort Quinn tried to scream.

**Hey jut a really quick filler chapter here and then the final chapter. R & R thanks!**

**~cold as ice 1915**


	7. Chapter 7

** I have really tried to take time to wrap up all the story plots in the story I may have accidentally started; however, that being said, this is the last installment of this story. Thank you for sticking with me through all of the chapters and I really appreciate any and all the tips/ comments you guys gave me. I will continue to write stories about what happens after the winter finale because I feel the writers have to have some major brain damage to have decided to end the show with a car crash. Who does that? Fair warning: this chapter is as vivid as the first one. Anyways here is the last chapter, enjoy!**

Sam ran into the room once he heard the screaming. He through the door open to find Quinn sitting up in her bed with her eyes glued to the door. Her eyes locked with his and he found himself weeping with joy and relief. Her mother had been about ready to give up on her. To Sam it seems Quinn does best when people give up on her. It's like she's telling the world that she won't give up despite what other people think about her. Quinn began to claw at the tubes down her throat. She grasped at the clear plastic tube and began to pull it out of her body. With each tug Quinn's body was wracked with spasms as inch by inch the tube emerged from her lungs.

Quinn began to gag on the tube and a putrid smell pervaded the room as Quinn threw up into the tube. Quinn was drowning in her own bile. Sam rushed to her side and began to force her hands down by her sides while he used his elbow to call the nurse. Within a few seconds the nurse rushed into the room and saw Sam and Quinn struggling together with the tubes. The nurse hurriedly rushed to the cupboard in the corner of the room and got a large syringe filled with a clear liquid and forcefully plunged it into Quinn's hip. Within seconds Quinn was limp in Sam's arms.

He relaxed his grip on her a little bit but refused to let her go completely.

"What did you give her?" He asked the nurse worried that he had just gotten her back and now she was being ripped away from him again.

"It's a simple sedative that should keep her under until we can get the tubes and monitors switched for a conscience patient. A comatose patient requires more monitoring than a person capable of watching themselves." The nurse began to pull on the tube Quinn had been frantically clawing at. With a small suction sounding noise the tube came out as well as some tan looking liquid. The room was once again tainted with the smell of acid and undigested food.

Quinn's chest was rising and falling on its own accord now. Sam listened as Quinn's body took its first breaths in four days. Air rushed in as her chest expanded and then was slowly released in a soft exhale. The girl lying in front of Sam was no longer some robot hooked to machines that looked like Quinn. No, this time when Sam looked down at the girl in the hospital bed he saw Quinn; the girl, who had saved him from a slushy, sang with him, frustrated him, loved him, and had broken his heart. The minutes he had stayed with Quinn had healed his heart. He was ready to love again and not Mercedes like he had originally thought. He _loves_ Quinn and wants to try to restart their relationship. _It's not going to be the same thing._ A small voice in the back of Sam's mind reminds him. Sam banishes this thought. He knows it won't be the same; they had both changed so much in the last year and there was no way they could fall back into their same easy relationship. Maybe that was what was wrong in the first place. He had been the quarterback and she was head cheerleader they were kind of expected to be together. It had sucked the romance out of their relationship. _This time there_ _isn't that same pressure. I'm not the quarterback and she's not a cheerleader._ Sam continued to sit at her bedside while the nurse worked to switch all the machines to different modes and removed others.

A while later Sam called Mrs. Fabray who had ran out of the hospital room after receiving the tragic news and he told her she was awake now. He listened as she sobbed on the other end of the phone and promised to be there as soon as possible. After he hung up there was a quiet moan from Quinn. He looked up in time to see her eyes slowly flutter open only to snap shut at the brightness of the room. She blinked her eyes a couple more times trying to get used to the lights and finally she was able to open them. At first she could see nothing because her eyes wouldn't focus on anything but then slowly shapes started to form.

Quinn turned her head to her right where she was sure all of her visitors had come to sit beside her. She hoped that Sam would be the first person she saw. Sure she wanted her mother to be there but Sam was really the only one who had stayed beside her the whole time. Her eyes rested on his and she felt like she might start crying.

Sam looked into Quinn's eyes and smiled softly. He took her hand in his giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." He joked softly. She laughed softly and then cried out in pain. "What's wrong?" He asked standing ready to call for the nurse.

"I don't think my body is ready to laugh quite yet." She sighed and leaned back into her pillows.

"Right so no impressions, jokes, or funny stories got it." He smiled and watched as a weary smile graced her lips. He felt her hand shift beneath his so he lifted his hand away. She turned her hand over palm up and left it resting there on the bed.

"I said no laughing; I didn't say you couldn't hold my hand." Quinn hoped she wasn't being rude to him- that was the last thing she wanted to do after all the time he had spent with her. Sam laced his fingers through hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. After four days of squeezing and whishing she would squeeze back Sam felt the slight pressure on his palm that told him she was trying to squeeze back. He looked up from their hands and let his eyes linger on her face. The bruises were almost all gone in some places and were a dark blue green in others. She caught him looking at her and he turned away slightly.

She wanted to try and make this seem less awkward than it was going to be. How did you ask someone if they had meant what they said having thought the person wasn't listening? It wouldn't take long for him to guess she was listening if she just dived right in to talking about what the other glee kids were up to and there was really no other topic to bring up.

"So what's new with you?" She tried that angle hoping he would just start talking about something.

"Stacy and Stevie keep calling and asking about you although it's mostly Stevie that keeps calling- I think he has a crush on you. I can finally tell him you're awake. They wanted to visit but I told them you needed to rest." He felt like he was rambling but the look on Quinn's face told him she wanted to know all about what had happened.

"It was probably best they didn't visit, judging by the way I feel right now I probably look even worse." Sam quickly shook his head and said:

"You look better now then you did a few days ago and even with all the tubes and bruises you are still one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen." The words tumbled from his mouth before his brain could process them and he wished nothing more than to take it back. She smiled at his compliment and began to look at herself.

She glanced down at her arms and legs finding a stiff plaster cast around her ankle. Her eyes began to tear up but she blinked them away thinking of how close she had been to losing her fight. A sling was attached around her neck holding her left arm to her chest. She almost hysterically laughed when she realized the reason no one saw her fingers moving was because of the sling. Quinn thought she might have hurt it slightly in the accident but she didn't think it was broken to the point of needing a sling. Since she could only guess how much damage her yanking her shoulder out from the steering wheel had caused she had no idea how much motion she would lose in her shoulder. This would cause issues when she went and did cartwheels but Quinn was sure with physical therapy she could fix it.

Sam watched as Quinn's eyes took in the damage her body had sustained. There was a small frown on her face a line forming between her eyes. She continued to check herself for injuries and found the leg that was wrapped in plaster. He saw tears begin to well up in her eyes but she blinked quickly and they were gone. She was trying to be so brave even when she knew there was little chance of her recovering soon. This was one of the things he admired about Quinn.

Quinn wondered how long it would take her to recover before she could squeeze herself back into her Cheerios uniform and get back into shape. Nationals were in a little less than two months and they would need a kick butt routine if they wanted to win. Quinn could do it she knew she could. Sure she might have to give up sleep for a while and maybe bypass going to the mall with her friends but Quinn was prepared to do anything to prove herself worthy of the uniform. It was some odd miracle Coach Sue had given it back to her. It still smelled like her perfume although it was slightly tainted with the smell of mothballs and feet. She couldn't wait for her body to decide it was time to start walking again. She decided to try and sit up a little testing how nauseous she would be. To her surprise she wasn't all that nauseous so she sat up further.

Sam watched as Quinn slowly pulled herself into a sitting position and he positioned his hands slightly on her back to try and aide her as much as she would allow. She moaned a little as the sling on her arm loosened a little bit. Sam repositioned the strap of the sling for her and then moved her pillow to allow her to lean back into it. When she looked comfortable he sat back down still holding her hand.

It would be a long recovery till Quinn would be able to stand and walk again and Sam would be there every step of the way allowing Quinn to lean on him for support. In the beginning of Sam's journey at McKinley High School, Quinn had been Sam's support system, now it was Sam's turn to be Quinn's.

** Thanks to all of the positive feed back I have gotten. As always please R & R! Thanks to all my fans that have helped me grow as a writer. This story is dedicated to my 10th grade English teacher who helped me realize my true potential as a writer and to never be afraid to open the door to new opportunities. Thank you so much.**

**~cold as ice 1915**

**P.S. I have started a new story featuring Quinn and Sam. This time Quinn and Sam must face danger and death as they are forced to compete in the Hunger Games. This new story should be a blast and will follow the HG book pretty closely but have some aspects of Glee thrown in there. I hope you check it out!**


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